Mind Games
by Omega Overlord
Summary: ONESHOT. Larxene hates how Vexen can get inside her head... or does she? Rated T for innuendo, language, and Vexen awsomeness.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts portrayed within.

Larxene, the Savage Nymph, slowly sank into the warm water of the baths. Considering the other pleasures she had this was the one that the others tolerated the most. Her long baths. The reason for that was it was her only pleasure that didn't involve a lot of pain. Of course… not all the pain was always dealt by her. Take her weekly midnight rendezvous' with Marluxia. The pink-haired nobody certainly had a way with those vines… She loved the feeling, but most certainly not the giver of said sensation. It was a purely physical relationship and both of them knew it.

There was a knock on the stone and Vexen's voice carried through the s-curve, "Larxene!?!"

She purposely gave her voice a sing-song quality, "who is it?"

Vexen cleared his throat, "Larxene… you have been in there for over an hour. I think it is time you gave one of us a turn."

She sank deeper into the water, "I'll come out when I feel like it."

Vexen's voice took on a mischievous tone, "don't make me do something that you'll regret."

She mocked him, "I dare you to try!"

There was a pause… the water she was lying in turned as cold as ice inside of a second. She shot out of the water with a scream of anger and surprise. Vexen could be heard laughing maniacally through the s-curve.

She threw her coat on, "VEXEN!!! I'm gonna kill you!!!"

She sprints into the s-curve… and slips on the iced over floor. She could do nothing but wallow on the floor, even the walls had been iced. She tried to dig her knives into the floor, the walls… nothing. She could get no grip on any surface. Vexen walked into the s-curve with a strip of cloth across his eyes, whistling cheerfully.

She yelled at Vexen, "what's with the blindfold old man?!?"

Vexen stepped onto the ice… and remained standing, "I'd just rather not see something that would mentally scar me for the rest of my non-life."

She froze, and not from the ice beneath her, "WHAT!!!"

Vexen continued to walk by and did not reply. What had he just implied??? Was he saying she wasn't attractive??? She was used to some of the men in the castle bowing before her. The majority that didn't ignored her but THIS! How dare he insult her like that! When he got out of the bathroom she was going to remind him just why she was called the Savage Nymph! The ice beneath her melted enough so she could stand… but now she was covered in freezing cold water. This only added insult to injury… oh, Vexen was going to pay!

She stalked out of the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of some the other men waiting in a line for the bathroom.

Lexaeus was the first in line and noticed that her coat was soaking wet, "forget a towel did you?"

Figures that one of the guys that wasn't afraid of her was the one that was the first to see her after being humiliated by an old man.

She shot back the best thing she could, "shut up!"

Lexaeus chuckled and turned his attention back to the bathroom door. There were scattered laughs from the men behind Lexaeus; Saix, Zexion, Xaldin, Luxord, Marluxia… The others were not present. The bruise to her ego was starting to hurt now. She was losing face in front of the more powerful nobodies of the castle. She stormed over to a chair on the far side of the room and began to wait.

About five minutes later Vexen emerged. The Chilly Academic was already armed with Frozen Pride and standing expectantly about ten feet away.

Vexen raised his shield in front of him, "I assume you will attempt to take your 'revenge' now?"

She stood and summoned her knives, "that and more old man!"

The other nobodies scattered to the far corners of the room as she lunged at Vexen, knives raised like claws. To her surprise, Vexen did not start floating like he usually did. Instead, the Chilly Academic froze the floor beneath him and slid underneath her lunge, bumping her upwards with his shield as he went. The bump from beneath interrupted her forward progress and she landed flat on the ice. This time however she was able to use a chair to stand, albeit somewhat shakily. Vexen did not press the attack, he stood absolutely still atop the ice sheet.

She snapped at Vexen, "how are you standing on this garbage?" She gestured to the ice covering the floor.

Vexen rolled his eyes, "what an incredibly foolish question Larxene. I control ice remember?"

Her response was a shakily aimed knife that Vexen simply tilted his head to avoid.

Vexen lazily mocked her, "now really Larxene, can't you do better than that?"

Sparks start to jump between the strands of hair on her forehead, "much."

She throws all her strength into a thunderbolt and calls it down directly over Vexen. In response the Chilly Academic creates a slab of ice over his head. The bolt hits the slab and shatters it… but does no harm to the man standing underneath.

The broken and sharp shards of ice float down around Vexen, "most unwise Larxene."

Vexen lowered his arm at her and the jagged shards of ice flew straight for her. She reflexively threw up her arms in a futile gesture of defense… but as the shards flew they shattered even more, doing her no real harm. Only drenching her once again with cold water. Vexen points and the chair she was using for support iced over and shattered. She dug her knives into the thicker ice of the floor and attempted to rise… Vexen slid over and pinned her to the floor with her hands behind her back.

She began to thrash wildly, "get off!!!"

As she struggled her coat rode up her arm slightly, revealing an angry rash on her wrist.

Vexen takes notice of this, "well… what have we here?"

Her non-existent blood froze. Vexen seriously couldn't tell what the rash was from just by looking at it could he? The man pinning her slid up the sleeve on her other arm.

Vexen starts to chuckle, "well, now I know why you scream so loudly at night my dear…"

Fear makes her stammer, "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

Off in the corner Demyx had arrived, "neither do I…"

Vexen chuckles a bit more, "you wouldn't now would you Demyx…" He holds up her wrist rather painfully, "what do you see here?"

Demyx hesitantly replies, "…a rash?"

Vexen holds her other wrist up next to the one her had previously moved, "and side by side?"

She looks around and sees it dawn upon all the men with exception of Marluxia. Of course he wouldn't react, he was the cause of those rashes.

Demyx still doesn't get it, "uh… two rashes?"

Vexen laughs and freezes her hands together, "and now?"

Demyx shrugs stupidly.

Vexen stands and leaves her on the floor, "two rashes at equal locations on opposite wrists?" When there was no response from Demyx, "I guess I'll spell it out for you then…"

She almost screams against what Vexen was about to reveal but at a gesture from the Chilly Academic her mouth froze shut.

Vexen continues, "with such perfectly even rashes I don't even need to see her ankles to deduce the fact…" Vexen pauses for effect, "that our female colleague here has a bondage fetish!"

The men around the room began to howl with laughter. Marluxia merely looked impressed that Vexen had figured it out just from a mark on her wrist. She begins to thrash violently, attempting to kick Vexen to the floor via any means possible.

Vexen takes a step back, freezes her entire body in a cocoon of ice, steps back in, and sets her up straight, "why so much struggling Larxene? I though you enjoyed this sort of thing."

She tried to yell, 'it's cold', but what came out was barely recognizable as an attempt at speech. The cold from the ice begins to seep into her very core. She began to shiver, slightly at first, until the huge ice cube she was in was literally bouncing up and down on the floor.

Vexen turns from where the other men were congratulating him, "oh… I almost forgot you were there Larxene… need some help?"

Her pride severely wounded, she nodded her head.

Vexen snaps his fingers and the block of ice shatters. She fell to her knees and started rapidly rubbing her arms in an attempt to restore feeling to her extremities. Vexen lay one finger on her shoulder, just one, and all the cold flowed away. Leaving her feeling as warm as if she had just gotten out of a warm bath… better even… She stood and Vexen was giving her his little superior smile.

She felt heat building in her face, whether from anger or embarrassment she didn't know, "…why?"

Vexen shrugged, "because I felt like it. Do you ever have a reason when you re-arrange my chemicals?"

She tried to reply, "but… I do that because…"

Vexen cuts her off, "because…?"

Her lips moved but no words came out. Vexen was right… as much as she hated to admit it, the chilly bastard was right. Did she EVER have a genuine reason for pulling a prank on anyone? Vexen had just picked her non-life apart inside of five minutes… She became aware that Vexen's icy green eyes were still watching her. Her face involuntarily flushed as she looked into his eyes. They seemed to look right through her to the very core of her being.

Vexen shattered the silence like he had shattered the ice, "Larxene? Are you even awake?"

Her consciousness violently re-took control. How long had she been staring at Vexen???

She opened a portal behind her and took a few steps towards it. Just before she felt the darkness close around her she thought she saw Vexen open a portal of his own. She stepped out of the darkness… was she in Vexen's lab?!?!? There was the sound of a portal opening from behind her.

Vexen stepped out of his portal, only the slight rise in his eyebrows showing his surprise… or was he acting, "Larxene… if I hadn't been around as long as I have I would almost think you were stalking me."

Out of instinct she snaps back, "please, your old ass isn't worth the effort."

Vexen smirked at her, "and yours is?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "I am not old!!!"

Vexen's smirk widens, "really? How old are you then?"

She tries to respond, "I'm… ah…… um………"

Vexen's smirk cracks into a smile, "exactly, never call someone old unless you have something to compare it to."

She tries to turn the argument in her favor, "but… you have grey hair, you have to be old."

Vexen tosses a lock of his 'grey' hair back where it belonged, "Once again Larxene, I control ice. What other color hair would I have? Blue hair would definitely not suit me, and neither would white. In fact I think I can see a few grey hairs on your own head."

One of her hands subconsciously rises to her head, "no… no way."

Vexen started to chuckle, "why don't you see for yourself? There is a mirror behind you."

She turned to the mirror and began to look over her head with a fine toothed comb… was that a grey?!? Surely it was just a lighter shade of blond… her mind started to panic.

Her distress must have shown because Vexen started laughing like mad, "You can stop looking Larxene. There are no grey hairs."

She slowly turned towards the laughing scientist, "how did you…?"

Vexen stops laughing and taps the side of his head, "intellect my dear, I know what you're thinking. Like how right now you are thinking about where you could stick a knife to make me scream the most. I hate to disappoint but that will not be happening."

She had already summoned her knives behind her back but she slowly let them fade away, "stop playing mind games with me Vexen!"

The scientist chuckles, "and why would I do that? I happen to think that both of us are enjoying this."

She turned her back to him, crossed her arms, and pouted, "I am not."

There was a light touch on her shoulder, it took a second for her to remember to flinch away, "oh really?"

She opened another portal and ran through, leaving the lab far behind. She didn't stop moving until she was surrounded by the comforts of her own room. Why could Vexen DO that?!? He got inside of her head and… she screamed in frustration and kicked her bedpost. Her hand brushed by her pocket… there was something in it. She removed the object and was blown away… it was a rose… made out of ice. In a way it was better than some of the flowers Marluxia had growing around his room, which he cared for obsessively. She could see every little petal……… HOLY SHIT!!! Vexen had slipped this into her pocket??? She groaned and fell onto her bed, now her head was starting to hurt. First Vexen humiliates her in front of most of the other men then he gives her a crystalline rose? It made no sense whatsoever. Was the scientist interested… or was he just toying with her…

She reached into her bedside table and pulled out her journal, opened it to her page on Vexen… she started to read, 'Vexen is a pompous, arrogant, useless, and old bastard. He should be killed to open up some space for someone useful.' Considering how he had just spun her around she was wondering how her own thoughts painted her… if Vexen was useless than what did that make her? Or should she be revising her opinion of the Chilly Academic? She stored the journal and massaged her temples. Now was not the time to be worrying about that. She set the icy rose on her bedside table. Curiously it hadn't begun to melt with as much as she'd handled it. Was that some kind of subliminal message? She ignored the thoughts whirling around in her head and tried to doze off.

The following morning she awoke and looked to where the icy rose had been… it was still there. She hadn't been hallucinating or dreaming. It crossed her mind that she didn't know which would be worse, if she actually was hallucinating, or (gulp) dreaming about Vexen, or him actually giving her a rose. She thought… maybe it was glass, and she was just being pranked. She touched the rose… it was still cold. She had to know why Vexen was doing this… but where was his room? She had once attempted to enter the room marked with his shield in the Proof of Existence but there had been nothing inside. Did the scientist live in his lab? Did she even want to know? Slowly, her desire to talk with the Chilly Academic overrode her disgust at what she was actually attempting to do.

She hesitantly opened a portal to Vexen's lab… nothing. There were no signs of life or sounds other than the slight dripping of test tubes or the bubbling of something on a heat plate. Where was he…?

She caught sight of one of his notepads, 'move any and all volatile chemicals to cold storage, Roxas was poking around in them again.'

This castle had cold storage? Was that where Vexen lived, in an actual freezer? Playing on a hunch she opened a portal to the deepest section of the castle she had ever been to… there were stairs leading down. Had they been there before? All questions whirled around inside of her head, begging for release, and more arose every minute. She stepped lightly down the stairs and felt it get colder with every step. Her breath started appearing before her in small puffs of white.

The stairs leveled out in a steel grey area before a large vault-like door. She hesitantly tried the handle… it opened slowly and ominously. She walked in… wow… the place was like a winter palace in its own right. There were ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes all over the place. She passed something that looked like a garden and it drew her in. There were ice sculptures of every member of the organization… although it was easy to tell who Vexen held less respect for. While the sculpture of Marluxia was kneeling over an icy flower bed the statue of Xemnas depicted the superior in his knight form and seated on his throne. On a whim she looked around for the sculpture of her…it wasn't quite finished but she could tell what direction Vexen was taking the sculpture in. Her icy double was poised almost like a ballerina, arms spread gracefully before it, legs still locked in the ice block Vexen was using. Who knew that, for a scientist, Vexen had this much artistic talent.

She heard clicking on the cold metal floor. Alarmed, she cast her eyes about for a place to hide… she hid behind the giant statue of Lexaeus (holding an icy Torn Heaven to the sky in a heroic pose). Vexen strolled leisurely into the 'garden', arms clasped behind his back. The icy artist immediately made his way over to the sculpture of her. She expected him to summon his shield and chip away at the ice like she had seen artists do with stone… Vexen pulled off his gloves and began to trace them across the remaining ice, shaving away the ice in layers. What she had expected was how he moved, precise, efficient, like a surgeon. Slowly, the figure she had imagined was revealed. Vexen had portrayed her as a ballerina… either he was reading her mind or…

Vexen traces the last line in his sculpture, "enjoying yourself are you Larxene?"

Shocked, she looks around her hiding spot to where Vexen was slipping his gloves back on, "how did you know I was here?"

Vexen moves over to another giant block of ice and appears to contemplate what exactly to make, "you left footprints in the snow that were far too light to be anyone else… and you left the door open."

She sees an opportunity to put the scientist under her heel, "you know… I'm not all too sure Xemnas would…"

A voice comes from the archway, "not sure that I would what, number twelve."

She looks over her shoulder and Xemnas was standing in the archway, looking down his nose at her, "if you must know Larxene, I have known of Vexen's hobby for a long time. I find it encouraging that creativity comes so easily to him. Not to mention Demyx and his music. As for you… creativity in causing pain isn't exactly what I would have in mind. Maybe you should try following Marluxia's example and try your hand at flower arrangements."

Xemnas chuckled to himself and wandered off through the 'garden'.

She turned back to Vexen, "how long…"

The Chilly Academic answers before she finished the question, "almost since day one. You are in fact the third to find your way down to my frozen studio. Xemnas was the first and Zexion quickly followed suit. I imagine most others in the castle should know by now… if not… then just Lexaeus in addition."

She opened her mouth again, "and…"

Vexen cuts her off again, "the sculptures were a recent idea of mine. They are quite realistic aren't they?"

She stammers out, "uh… yes, but about…"

Vexen finishes the thought, "…the rose? Yes that was my doing. One of the best I've ever done if I might add."

She turned towards the a statue to hide her face… more specifically, the blush on it.

Vexen spoke to her turned back, "well?"

She turned back to the Chilly Academic when her face was under control, "well what?"

Vexen crossed his arms in front of his chest, "are you coming with me?"

She was slightly confused, "…come with you where?"

Vexen snaps his fingers and her wrists freeze together. One of his eyebrows goes up suggestively.

It dawns on her what he was offering, "oh…"

Feeling somewhat dazed she follows Vexen's beckoning finger. She had no idea that cold could feel so, so very good. Shortly afterwards she came to a realization, brains, intelligence, and imagination… This was going to be much more than just physical.


End file.
